Do you have to have a license to babysit 1 or 2 kids in your home?

Question

My wife loves kids and wants to make some extra money by babysitting 1 or 2 kids 5 days a week at our home. Does she need some sort of license to do that? Can she put an add in the paper for that if she's not licensed? Are there any laws about that? We live in Utah.

Answer 1

Typically it depends on whether she's doing it socially or professionally. I don't believe it requires a child care license to babysit 1 to 2 kids for 1 family at a time (otherwise most teenagers would need one) but I would spend the $10 to get a business license if you're going to be putting ads in the paper. This can be done through your state's department of licensing. If you go beyond babysitting to actual daycare then yes you would need a special license.

FYI, word of mouth is a much more powerful, and cheaper, method of advertising. If you have a computer make up a batch of your own business cards (Costs between 5 and 10 dollars) then hand them out as you travel around town. While I work for the government and have my cards provided to me, I've gotten business from people I've met at grocery stores, barbers, and state fairs just by handing them a card as we're talking. Good Luck.